Is there any job out there that doesnt have a racist culture?

25 Comments

1. Sarah HulickMay 11,2023 at 1:35PM UTC

   Im so sorry this happened to you. I have ended up in public higher Ed because it was less sexist, racist, and morally void than any of the private industry jobs I tried.

2. Trina BaynesMay 11,2023 at 2:55PM UTC

   I am so glad that you've written about this. I had a similar experience at one of the largest communication companies in the country. Then I went to another large company, and they "tried" to tell the same "threat lie"! Whenever you rightful report discrimination regardless of the details and will not throw another Black person under the bus or talk personal gibberish an attempt to "equalize" their White Supremacy, they go after you with the racist's trope of "the angry Black woman", as if Black women in corporate America have serially committed violent crimes in the workplace...NOT!!!

3. Kristie WhiteMay 11,2023 at 3:02PM UTC

   I have worked with HR for a long time. While the treatment you received definitely does imply racism, the paycheck issue may or may not be intentional. You have said you were only employed for two days, so there aren't a lot of hours here. It is unlikely that you have benefit arrears for that length of time - benefit deductions rarely start with the first paycheck. So that does sound very fishy. Plus, your supervisor shouldn't have had anything to do with your payroll check - that should be handled by the Payroll Dept. But if this is a small company, you may not have a lot of recourse as they can cover for each other and a small company may not be as regulated. But definitely take it to the EEOC and pull an investigation. The company should not be allowed to manipulate payroll; they need to prove their case.

4. AnonymousMay 12,2023 at 8:17PM UTC

   I already received a check with reimbursed expenses. This is how I know she did it on purpose.

5. Trina BaynesMay 15,2023 at 7:13PM UTC

   Yes, she was just doing what American RACIST and racism has done for 404 years be cruel, evil, and financially wanton to Black Americans who labor hard, with no redress!!

6. Mare LevineMay 11,2023 at 5:21PM UTC

   I appreciate the strength and clarity with which you handled this. Kudos for not 'sucking it up' and trying to continue, which is something I have done in the past and it never works. Also, I am cheering you on with your report to the EEOC and DOL.

   DiversityJobs.com has been a good site for my diverse needs--maybe it would help you? Also, there are many very specific job search communities. Here are some options:

   https://www.diversityjobs.com/

   https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/5-ways-job-searching-is-harder-for-black-women <--FGB article with tons of comments by Tiffany Lashai Curtis you might not have seen

   https://fitsmallbusiness.com/african-american-job-sites/ <--list of sites

   Since I am LGBTQ+, I research companies before applying and look for an LGBTQ+ employee group and/or support for Pride Month. Forbes just put out their 2023 list of top Diversity and Inclusion companies. Maybe use this list as a jumping off point for your next job search? https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-diversity/

   Update us if you have a chance!

7. AnonymousMay 12,2023 at 8:19PM UTC

   Thanks so much for this!!

8. AnonymousMay 12,2023 at 2:26AM UTC

   Awful. Horrifying. I went from a corporation that was highly discriminatory to a corporation that is less discriminatory. Our world culture right now is very "ist" and it's everywhere. That said, there are pockets in the workplace where respect lives. I hope you find one soon!

9. Dcre1977May 12,2023 at 3:21PM UTC

   You have to find one that is tolerable, very hard to find one where racism is non existent

10. misskelleypMay 12,2023 at 4:02PM UTC

    FYI, you're not locked out of ADP, likely you used your company email to access it, so you would need to give customer service at ADP a call to reset your email and password. The ADP access lives on well after you leave your employer, so that you can access pay stubs and tax documents at the end of the year. Unfortunately ADP has several different systems so you have to find the correct customer service number for whichever payroll system your employer was using. HR at your former employer should be willing to give you that number. As for your benefits, yeah, that's a possibility, but your expenses, absolutely not. Those should be reimbursed as claimed, benefits should never come out of an expense reimbursement. Worst case you could try filing a complaint with your state's Department of Labor (might be called something else where you are). Good luck, sounds like a sucky situation.

11. AnonymousMay 13,2023 at 12:12PM UTC

    As an African American woman who has been in the workforce for 50 years, I can say that the ONLY jobs that I worked where racism was NOT a problem was when I worked for the PA Legislative Black Caucus on Capitol Hill. Other than that....there was ALWAYS that one, two, (or more) racist that I had to deal with and put in their place. And the good white folks were embarassed by the bad white folks' behaviors.

12. AnonymousMay 13,2023 at 2:15PM UTC

    As a black woman....the answer is no. There is racial issues at EVERY corporation I have worked at. The IT sales industry is the most racist and I have gone through hell with the lowest pay and absolutely no support. We are seen as aggressive, not intelligent, and at times invisible. The fake diversity claims and diversity departments are just a diversion. They make it so we are afraid to hold conversations with the only 1 or 2 African American employees in fear of some imaginary coup. This is the society we live in and nothing has really changed. Just an illusion of change to appease the current social culture. I'm done venting... it is very unfortunate.

13. ErikaMay 15,2023 at 11:46AM UTC

    Honestly I'm so glad I'm hearing about these stories. I didn't know this stuff was happening until a good friend (a strong black woman) brought it to my attention. There are so many parts of this story where a non-POC could have advocated in your absence and while we're not at the place where racism has died, there are places where there are stronger networks of allyship and where someone could have stepped in and shifted the conversation away from racial tropes to get to the heart of the issue. It sounds like you've been redirected and I hope your next opportunity gives you a better sense of community, support and acceptance.

14. Kristie WhiteMay 15,2023 at 7:35PM UTC

    This is such an important conversation. I am a white granma of two biracial (black/white) grandchildren that I absolutely adore. But I have to say that - as a white woman growing up in North Carolina who is pretty intelligent - until I had relationships with and especially fell in love with my grandchildren, there was a racial thread inside of me that I didn't know existed. I considered myself intelligent and rejected racism. But it was part of my upbringing - and it is also part of lots of racial upbringings in every culture. When I heard comments from relatives, it "seeped" into my subconscious. When I saw white people congregate, I was aware. When I visited other towns and never saw a black person - I knew if they were there, the black community did not intermingle. All of these little things are part of what builds that thread inside our cultural understanding - the way we overlook it, are secretly embarrassed but don't know how to address it, the way we choose a store or town or activity. Now with my grandchildren, sometimes I encounter the racism and I am afraid for them. I have a 17 year old grandson and an 8 year old granddaughter. I wonder how can I make things better for them? How can I stand up for, but avoid hauling off and smacking some racist jacka**. It is part of the underlying culture in the United States but in my travels I have seen it in every culture - the Irish community, the white community, the black community, the hispanic community, the Indian community. It is everywhere because we humans gravitate to our tribes - those who look like us and have similar cultures. So while there is a lot of history between the blacks and whites that makes the problem larger and more embedded, the racial tensions between cultures are everywhere. We need to reach out and intermingle in order to change the conversation. So let's keep this conversation going because we need to be aware and conscious of racism's presence - at the micro level and every level up - and in every community.

15. AnonymousMay 15,2023 at 10:49PM UTC

    (I am the original poster of the thread you responded to) See ma'am, you were on the right track until you attempted to make racism an American culture thing, instead of WHITE culture thing. 1. Irish, Italian etc ARE WHITE PEOPLE with different ethnic backgrounds. Hispanic is not a race, it's an ethnicity of both Black and white people, the latter of which can very much be racist. There are BOTH Black and White Native Americans and the WHITE Natives still tend to take up ideologies of white supremacy while attempting to protect their tribalism. Black people can not and will never benefit from white supremacy and Black people BY DEFINITION cannot be racist. Black people HISTORICALLY must teach our children to beware of white people or they can most certainly lose their lives, even in 2023. You have not unpacked YOUR personal racism, you simply conditioned yourself to believe that ANYONE can be racist and that simply is not the truth. You really want to take that journey and understand your personal biases, I move you to get the book, "So You Think You're An Ally" by Elle Frazier. If you get the certificate at the end, you're well on your way. Because this response was very centering and using proximity to Blackness via your grandchildren to say that you are no longer racist is kind of weird. Thanks for your response.

16. Kristie WhiteMay 15,2023 at 11:14PM UTC

    To the OP that responded to my recent post - I completely disagree with you. I have met many people who exhibit racism and they are not all white. So if you want to preach to someone about how badly they are understanding their racism, you need to travel a bit more and have conversations with people who have opinions about others that are not based on fact but differences. You need to listen to the explanation of racism - that there is only one race, the Human Race - and the "racism" we deal with is actually tribal. Now I'm going to argue with you about whether or not my explanation using my grandchildren was appropriate or not - it is none of your business. I used that example to explain how a relationship can change the inner workings of your subconscious - deep inside your psyche where you don't know what is going on all the time. Don't tell me that black people can't be racist - every human being has the ability to have bad habits and I know you have heard black people speak racially. So don't pretend that there is a purity where there isn't. We are all humans with the capacity to behave badly. You need to grow up.

17. AnonymousMay 16,2023 at 12:59AM UTC

    You can disagree all you like Black people and POC can be discriminatory, bias, and a bunch of other things. I have traveled quite a bit in my lifetime and although I don't understand what that has to do with racism, I'm sure in your mind, it makes sense. If you READ or LISTEN to people who are PhD's on the subject and understand how racism works, you will understand that it is an entire system that is woven into the very fabric of America that ONLY benefits white and white presenting (European phenotype) people. The racism WE (Black people) deal with is NOT tribal, it is based on skin color, that is how racism works, it has nothing to do with us collectively being the human race. A relationship can not change your subconscious because one or a few people are not responsible for the many because they are INDIVIDUALS and HISTORICAL context and CONDITIONING will always remain prevalent. I never said ANYONE or RACE was pure, free from unsavory people, or do not produce great people. I am strictly talking about racists. Why are YOU, who has sat with and dissected their inner racism, so triggered by the information that i'm giving you? Its okay. Again, Black people can be colorist, bias, discriminatory, misogynists, narcissist, patriarchal, classist, and prejudiced (against other people of color), but NOT racist toward white people or anyone else! Because that is NOT how racism works. Facts have nothing to do with maturity, you need to unpack that 'sit down' a bit more. Imagine infantilizing a grown Black woman (which has a prevalent historical racial context), and in the next breath saying how you have unpacked your racism. LMAO! Thank you.

18. AnonymousMay 16,2023 at 6:33PM UTC

    You will never understand our pain and plight because you are white. You confuse prejudice with racism, which many people do. I get so tired of people telling black people how we should feel or to "get over it" that is very easy for someone who constantly benefit from the white supremacy in this country. You can preach the human race all you want, but you know full well that that is not realistic. Putting a bandaid on the situation and pretending that racism doesn't exist is not the answer. So when your biracial grandchildren get older and experience true racism then you will truly understand. The nerve of you to discount and disagree with someone else's corporate experience when there are so many blacks that experience the same thing. That right there is call the thinking of "white privilege". Someone who truly understands would not respond the way you did. They would try to understand and have empathy because it is REAL. You will NEVER understand what blacks go through daily and have endured for the last 400 years.

19. AnonymousMay 16,2023 at 9:09PM UTC

    Hello, I posted the original content. THANK YOU for this. She did exactly what they do before they decide they don't like you and use their white woman's tears to get you written up or fired. She is exactly like the women on the job I just quit. Smh. They pretend to come in peace and as soon as you don't agree. They show you who they are.

20. Balanced372207May 18,2023 at 6:59PM UTC

    It enrages me when a white person tries to tell me, a 70 year old African American woman, that racism isn't real, or that it is all in my head. And, lately, that is happening all too often to black people everywhere.

21. Dcre1977May 16,2023 at 9:33PM UTC

    This is pretty damn rude.

    In the US, if you are Black you will recieve more racism. And you grandchildren will understand this, unfortunately.

22. Kristie WhiteMay 18,2023 at 12:59AM UTC

    I disagree for several reasons. First, I agree with you that racism in the U.S. is pervasive, silently condoned, and demeaning and difficult for black people – I don’t deny that nor can I ever feel what you feel or experience what you experience because my skin color gives me a “pass”. But 2. you don’t know what I have already experienced with my grandchildren, my friends, my work environment, etc. so you can’t judge what I understand. 3. The comment I disagreed with the most from the original post is that “black people can’t be racist.” If you accept that we are all human, have the same human emotions and frailties and the same capabilities regardless of our skin color or our culture, then this statement is inherently false. It is illogical. If we are the same, then we have to accept the same aspects of being a human being – our good and bad qualities. 4. As for being rude, I brought this conversation into the public forum because the OP messaged me privately and I had no option to respond – and I deserve that option if someone is going to rip me to shreds based on my original empathetic post. 5. And finally, having an opinion about how we can think about racism based on objectivity, science and inclusiveness does not equate to a lack of understanding. If you want to move forward, we have to find a way to have common ground – a way to respect each other and starting by respecting that we are all human is a good foundation IMO. If we continue with the same paradigm that we have been living under for the last 400 years, then we will be no different than the tribes in the Middle East who have been fighting for hundreds of years. But of course, how you approach the way you think is your choice because you have free will.

23. AnonymousMay 18,2023 at 8:33PM UTC

    I am the OP, I did not send you ANY private message. You are LYING. Every one of our engagements is on this feed and are very much PUBLIC. Black people BY DEFINITION, CAN NOT BE RACIST! Merriam Webster: of, relating to, or characterized by the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another. Racism will never oppress white people to the social, economic, and/or political advantages of Black people. That is NOT how WHITE supremacy works! White supremacy: the social, economic, and political systems that collectively enable white people to maintain power over people of other races. SO YOU ARE WRONG! My acceptance of our collective humanity does nothing to change this system, and your denial of the way this works is UNBELIEVABLE! Being the same does not change the hierarchy of privilege that people who look like YOU benefit from! You are complacent with a system that oppresses the equitable opportunity of people based on the color of their skin and thus are helping to uphold this system by not being actively anti-racist. WE have not been living in a paradigm for the last 400 years, WE (BLACK PEOPLE), have been living through perpetual terror, inequality, and sabotage, denial of justice, denial of experience, denial of life, denial of the BIT of diversity, equity, and inclusion that made America what it is TODAY! Please allow me to be very clear that my will is NOT free, I pay for it every single day at every turn that my Black face or facts makes a white person uncomfortable, including places I thought were safe spaces. And, we are all Americans, reaching for the entire world adds nothing to this discussion. Now please, have the life you deserve.

24. Kristie WhiteMay 19,2023 at 4:06PM UTC

    Last post. I apologize the accusing you of sending me a private message. I can see your original reply to my post below now, but when I first saw it - it did not display within a thread of comments but alone. I had no ability to reply and assumed it was a private message. I guess it was a software glitch of some kind.

    Re: our disagreement - You are correct that RACISM is a systematic oppression of a racial or ethnic group and whites have systematically had more economic power than blacks and have systematically oppressed and intimidated the black population in the United States. So blacks cannot practice racism toward whites effectively. However, the term RACIST is individual - how does an individual behave. And that definition is "a person who is prejudiced against or antagonistic toward people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group..." So my point is and has been that each one of us as an individual can be a racist toward a particular group of people while unable to act on our individual biases because we have no power to do so. Being the victim of racism does not prevent a human being from becoming racist toward the oppressor - it encourages it.

25. AnonymousMay 19,2023 at 4:31PM UTC

    (OP) Prejudice: preconceived judgment or opinion.
    (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge. : an instance of such judgment or opinion. WRONG again. Any preconceived judgments Black people have toward white people is HISTORICAL. What you are describing is discrimination. Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability. Do you notice how they left out RACE? You can be treated unfairly because someone does not like Italians or Germans, racism from Black people toward white people is not a thing, does not exist. Discrimination, YES, Racism, NO.
    Even INDIVIDUAL racism does NOT exist for white people. As a Black person if I call the police and pretend to cry and lie and say you assaulted me, the police may not even show up. As an individual white woman, if you attempt the same, I could lose my life. Youre grasping at straws, you dont get to change the social understanding or meaning of something to suit your opinion when the fact states otherwise. SMFH. Lastly, Being a victim of racism from the collective of one race historically and currently encourages any discriminatory actions on the part of said victims - especially when those that wield it knowingly or otherwise can so easily deny its existence. Good day.